First Mid-America Ford Performance and Team Shelby Meet to Welcome American Legends

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First Mid-America Ford Performance and Team Shelby Meet to Welcome American Legends to the Heartland

TULSA, Okla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A group of America’s greatest automotive performance legends will help make the first Team Shelby Nationals one of the most spectacular automotive events of the year. Icons Carroll Shelby, Tom Yeager, Alan Grant and Bill Neale will appear at various times throughout the event on June 12-15, 2008, at the Mid-America Ford Performance and Team Shelby Nationals in Tulsa, Okla. Over 30,000 people are expected to attend the evolution of what has been the pre-eminent Ford and Shelby show during the past 34 years to see Mr. Shelby and the other stars.

“Shelby Automobiles only wants to partner with the best, so it was natural for us to team with the wonderful people at the Mid-America Ford Performance and Shelby Meet to create the Team Shelby Nationals,” said Carroll Shelby, founder of Shelby Automobiles and the first member of Team Shelby. “The goal was to create an event that would deliver more ways for Shelby enthusiasts to enjoy a high-octane lifestyle. Working with Jim Wicks, Randy Roberts and David Apgar, we’ve created a weekend that will show all of the Shelby, Ford and Mustang fans across the country how much we appreciate them with lots of fun activities to enjoy their cars.”

The longest-running, multi-faceted event of its kind, the Mid-America Ford Performance and Shelby Meet began as a picnic hosted by Jim Wicks and a group of diehard enthusiasts in 1974. Today, it has blossomed into a multi-day event with drag racing, road racing exhibitions, a trade show, a cruise night, car show and a banquet. The agreement with the event organizers was finalized earlier this month.

“Over the years, some of the most important people, companies and cars have been part of the Mid-America Meet,” said event founder and organizer, Jim Wicks. “With the evolution of the event to include the Team Shelby Nationals, we’ll have the highest profile people and most important companies represented at the event this year. We’re especially pleased that high ranking executives with Ford Motor Company, along with Carroll Shelby and his Shelby Autos team will be part of the festivities.”

The Mid-America Ford Performance and Shelby Meet has hosted some of the most famous names in racing. Luminaries that have appeared include Cobra pilots Dick Smith, Lew Spencer and Don Roberts, chassis design engineer Robert Negstad, former SCCA B production national champion Walt Hane, noted automotive artist Bill Neale, designer Larry Shinoda, author and racing driver Rick Titus, SVT Manager John Coletti and Ford executive Robert Parker.

Team Shelby is the only club officially recognized by the factory for all vehicles built by Shelby. The organization is directed by Robert Lane and Sharon Elliott. Members don’t need to own a Shelby to be a member, just share a “life needs more” attitude and celebrate all high performance Shelbys.

“We launched the club on Mr. Shelby’s 85th birthday in January this year and will move into the fast lane during this event,” added Mr. Lane. “In just a few months, we’ve attracted over 2,400 members. We expect most of them to be part of the historic first Team Shelby Nationals along with the tens of thousands of other Ford and Shelby fans. Our goal is to make this the template for other regional and local activities to help members maximize the pleasure of owning a Shelby car.”

The 2008 Nationals currently will feature:

* High Performance Shelby driving school on Wednesday at Hallett Motor Racing Circuit
* 3 days of open track action at Hallett Motor Racing Circuit from Wednesday – Friday
* Car cruise on Thursday evening in Tulsa
* 1 day of drag racing at Tulsa Raceway Park on Saturday
* Banquet on Saturday night
* Parts swap meet and vendor areas at the track and host hotel
* Car Show at the Tulsa Southern Hills Marriott on Sunday
* Autograph session with Carroll Shelby and special guests on Saturday and Sunday

About Team Shelby

Team Shelby is the only club officially recognized by the factory (www.shelbyautos.com) for all vehicles built by Shelby. The group offers a wide variety of activities, ranging from track days to factory tours. The enthusiast community features a cutting-edge Web site hosting videos, forums, podcasts, exclusive news and briefings; an on-line Shelby registry is also planned. Information is available at www.teamshelby.com and www.midamericafordmeet.com.

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Download your Mid America Survival Guide 2008 with all the info you need for the big weekend. And of course, check the official Mid America Ford and Team Shelby Nationals website for more details.

Mid_America_Survival_Guide_2008.pdf